It is my understanding that chickens don't wrap their feet around a branch like exotic birds. They like to sit on them. If the weather gets really cold where you live, then flat is definitely better because their toes could get frostbite.
I really like this coop hoop. Where did you get it?I did so much research on building my own coop and learned from others what not to do. I even bought plans for an ark, but when I added up the costs for lumber and realized how much work was involved I freaked out. I couldn't fathom spending so much money and time on something that housed only a few chickens. Many of the coops I've seen in stores (Rural King, TSC) couldn't possibly fit even one of my big chickens. When you buy baby chicks you really can't imagine how BIG they actually get when full grown. I happened to run across in these forums a picture of a chicken coop hoop house. It only cost us about $150 for 8x8, was so much simpler to put together than other coops, and we're in the process of building two more (cause yes, chickens are addictive). You can very comfortably put 10 full size chickens in it. The deep litter method works well in it, and because cattle panels are used for the hoop part it's so easy to hang feeders. Everyday that I walk into my coop hoop I thank God I built one that I can walk into. It's a lot sturdier than you might think. When the winds are so bad that our shingles are flyin off our house the coop hoop stays put. I wanted simple and thought that too many people complicated the heck out of chickens. Funny thing was after I built my coop our neighbor comes over and says, "Ya'll coulda just put up a fence and made a small metal shed." Which is exactly what most people do in rural KY, but I did want something that wasn't too tacky. I guess I could have housed my chickens simpler. I think the point of this is that you don't have to spend too much money on a chicken condo, and I totally agree with the other posts saying the chickens don't care. Simpler is better. I do plan on landscaping behind it with bushes, trees, smelly flowering plants like lilac in order to hide it better and mask any smell.
Do you mix the PDZ with the shavings? I have been waffling back and forth between using sand or shavings. Have not made up my mind yet.Build as big of a run/coop as you can afford. You will not regret this!
Also, easy to clean nesting boxes, roosts higher then nesting boxes, and slanted roof on nest boxes to prevent chickens (in my case the turkeys) from sleeping on top of them.
I fell in love with my poop board + PDZ under my roosts it saves the shavings and there is no smell in my coop. I just scoop it like cat litter.
Wow! Thanks for sharing. Wish I had seen this before I got set on my design. Ours is a 6'X8' shed with modifications for chickens.
Catchy name huh? It's just a removable board mounted under the roost bars to catch the droppings at night and save the litter (a little). I will take it out each weekend and scrap off the little presents so I don't have to change the litter so often. I'll take some pics and post them so you can see. It was pretty easy to design and add in.OK what's a poop board???
PDZ I use with the cavy so we already have that here....
never heard of a poop board before
Thanks for the picture! Sounds efficient and tidy, " Honey, I've got another great idea for the coop..."Not sure if you can see from this picture ... but just under the roost I have a shelf with a one inch lip around it so that it can hold the PDZ. Under the shelf is my nesting boxes. I just use a kitty litter scoop to clean the poop every day. It take 5 minutes. The shavings stay clean.
Do you find any problems having the nesting boxes on the ground like that (other than having to bend down to get the eggs)? I like the simplicity of this design. Does the other side look the same? Do you have any more pictures?Not sure if you can see from this picture ... but just under the roost I have a shelf with a one inch lip around it so that it can hold the PDZ. Under the shelf is my nesting boxes. I just use a kitty litter scoop to clean the poop every day. It take 5 minutes. The shavings stay clean.
